Tag: MetroQuest

At MetroQuest, we believe that exceptional public involvement begins with an award-winning solution: and our award-winning solution would not be possible without our incredible Development Team. Today, I am excited to introduce to you Simon Bourdeau, the head of the Development Team here at MetroQuest! Simon leads the team to ensure our survey solution is not only up to date and working reliably but enables agencies and firms nationwide to deliver exceptional public engagement results.

Check out my conversation with Simon below to learn more about his background, what it’s like to lead the Team and to find out what he enjoys doing in his spare time.

Simon, can you give us the 10,000-foot view of your role at MetroQuest? 

As Team Lead of Software Development at MetroQuest, my role consists mainly of helping the team work effectively. My main goal is to help ensure everyone on my team has the resources to move our software forward. In order to accomplish this, I try to promote a learning culture so that everyone is aware of new technologies, techniques and processes. This means making myself available to provide mentoring, which typically consists of answering technical questions, performing peer coding or providing direct help. I also spend a good portion of my time thinking about how we want to build the product in a way that gives the most value for our customers, while setting realistic goals for a team of our size. And because of my experience as a backend developer, I also build some of those invisible product pieces myself.

Tell me about your team! What’s it like being the Team Lead for Development? 

We have an amazing Development Team here at MetroQuest! While we are small, we are very close and everyone has a lot of fun working together. We care for each other and that makes it important to respect everyone’s perspectives. For me, it’s important to have everyone’s input before changing any processes or making long term decisions on our technology. In the end, MetroQuest is not simply a place to punch in and punch out, but a place to have friends to talk to and do fun things together.

What’s your background as a software engineer? 

I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Software Engineering from Montreal where I grew up. Following school, I worked for a couple of small firms as well as some larger ones such as IBM, Avanade, Boeing and Pearson. Throughout the years, I found myself working primarily on backend technologies like Oracle Database or SQL Server, which became my specialty. Since then, and through my time at MetroQuest, I’ve become a much more versatile developer. I now find myself working on C#, JavaScript, Angular, Python and, most of all, on public cloud infrastructure. This has been a very beneficial shift for me. I find myself not only working on projects I love, but expanding my skillset with new projects as well.

What do you see as the most valuable aspect of MetroQuest for the public engagement industry? 

To me, what differentiates us at MetroQuest is our proven track record. We have a proven technique that has helped countless planners obtain the information they need to move forward with their projects and plans. We offer a product that is flexible while making sure our customers can leverage true value from our survey platform. We provide images and visual charts so that the surveys that our customers make are truly engaging. Not only does this help guide planners who might be new to MetroQuest, it does a better job at informing and engaging citizens. Because of that, I believe our survey platform conducts citizen engagement the right way.

How do you believe technology is changing the world today and in the future? 

Technology is changing society in a variety of ways, most of all by optimizing and automating a lot of tasks. While I don’t believe that technology can replace human interaction and support, it does help streamline some of the cumbersome tasks associated with our jobs. Think about driving, shopping and making financial transactions, for instance. These are examples that have and will continue to radically change. Governments do great work in this era and are still the backbone of a healthy economy. They are essentially building the required foundation for societies to move forward. Planning public works needs to be a transparent process in 2020. The age of information requires it. Our product lets governments do just that. I consider our product to be technology for good and for progress, and I am very proud of that.

What do you like to do outside of work? 

Family is where I love spending my time but when I’m not enjoying a board game at home, I love playing ultimate frisbee, skiing and cycling.

From technical design to determining product growth in accordance to what our customer’s truly want, our Product Team is at the forefront of what makes MetroQuest a leading public engagement solution!  
 
Today, I’m excited to introduce the leader of that team: Peter Millar. With over 20 years of software experience under his belt, Peter joined MetroQuest at the end of 2019, and lends industry expertise and thought leadership to some of MetroQuest’s most important product development decisions. Check out my conversation with Peter below to learn more about his role, the current tech trends he’s following, and where his passions for sustainability and software truly stem from!

Peter, can you give us the 10,000-foot view of your role at MetroQuest? 

As VP of  Product at MetroQuest, my role is pretty diverse.  My focus starts and ends with our customers. MetroQuest needs to deeply understand our customers’ goals, challenges, and the outcomes they desire, so we can build products that enable them to succeed. I am responsible for our product strategy, roadmap development, and release management. I’m also very lucky to lead our amazing development team. They possess the magic that takes our customers’ needs and turns them into elegant technical solutions in online public engagement for planning.

Where does your passion for software and systems integration stem from?

That’s an interesting question because as a teenager, I swore never to have anything to do with software. It’s a long story, so let’s just say that my first attempt at programming was abysmal. But I’m a curious person and soon saw how technology – both hardware and software – can present amazing opportunities to solve problems and streamline processes. Applying technology to better enable people to do their jobs and live their lives – whatever that may be – became a major focus of my professional life.  

What tech trends are you currently following?

There’s so much innovation going on today, it’s hard to follow it all. Most recently, I’ve been interested in renewable energy technologies, AI, and machine learning. One thing that I’m always interested in, however, is User Experience (UX). It isn’t really a trend, per se, but I see it as critical to making all technology easy to adopt and delightful to use.  

What are your favorite aspects of MetroQuest’s software?

I really love the way MetroQuest provides micro-learning and gamification in survey design. This enables such a diverse range of people to learn about issues and the choices planners are asking them to make, and to have fun while doing it. From a planner’s point-of-view, being able to fully engage the public on projects and issues that affect people’s daily lives is amazing.  Getting that kind of input really makes for smarter decisions that entire communities can support.  

What do you like to do outside of work?

I like to play outside!  I’m a keen cyclist, skier and boater. I guess that’s why I ended up in Vancouver – the mountains are at our back and our toes are in the water. I get to cycle to work for fun all year around. The ski terrain nearby just can’t be beat and when summer rolls around, there’s a whole new world out on the sea.   

You are passionate about sustainability and the environment. How are you able to draw from these passions and utilize them in your role at MetroQuest?

Appreciating our environment and acting as a responsible steward of our land and waters runs deep in my world view. It starts with the notion that one cares for what one loves. That applies to the communities in which we live and how we get out and about in our travels. I can see that care in our customers who are planning for better communities, roadways, bike paths, public transit options, and more. They want to educate people on the issues we are facing and provide an opportunity for everyone to have their voice heard without undue influence or obstruction. So, appreciating those things is a guiding principle to make sure we craft the best possible capabilities into our product moving forward, in order to best support the work that planners are doing.